One of my acquaintances has recently purchased a Jet Provost T.3, and is hoping to complete it in the colours it wore with 2 FTS at Syerston in the early 1960s. The aircraft in question, XM478, was coded 21, and was almost certainly finished in the silver grey colourscheme with yellow areas on the nose, tail section and outer wings. There are a variety of images available on the net, but none which show XM478. Also required is a colour image of the 2 FTS badge, the dimensions of said badge, and advise on how to accurately position the badge on the nose of the aircraft. If anyone can come up with something other than what intensive web searches can provide, my colleague would be extremely grateful.

sycamore Yes, I know it's a T.4 but the original question was about the Syerston JP colour scheme in the early '60s. Pic shows a Syerston JP in the early '60s therefore is apt. Don't know about '63 as I was, by then, in RAFG waiting for the Russians to roll across the plains.

Thanks very much for these replies, and particularly the photos showing the red bands. My Italian friend was just about to pick up a yellow paint pot. Now he is busy revisiting his research. It seems that the RAF are quite strict in their criteria for the granting of approvals to carry an ex-military scheme: the colourscheme must be accurate, and it must reflect the service history of the aircraft.

Anyway, he is extremely grateful, and very surprised by the level of interest shown in his project.

Hi again HB. Since the RAF are particular about the colour scheme, perhaps the Air Historical Branch could help? They are a part of the RAF after all. Failing that, try either the RAF Museum at Hendon or the Imperial War Museum. As I said earlier, I know the colour scheme I sent you was valid May '65 to May '66. Whether 478 was there at that time I can't say.

Just a thought; when you have the best approximation of what the machine would have looked like at that time, why not send a picture of the proposal to the Air Force for approval. If they say that it doesn't match their records they may be amenable to sharing them so that it can be right

I flew XN557 a lot in '61. It was a CFS aircraft, but I can't recall any difference from the Mk 3s I flew at Syerston in '60.

XN557 colour scheme was: Tip tanks - dayglo. Wing outer panel, not ailerons, from the centerline of the roundel outward, top and bottom - dayglo. Ailerons, top and bottom - silver. Flaps, top and bottom - dayglo. Inner wing - silver (with black walk strip on root top). Rear fuselage, aft of point where fin merged with fuselage, but not including any fin or the tailcone - dayglo.Remainder of fuselage, not nosecone -silver. Nosecone, swept back and under to a point between the air intakes- dayglo. Tail - silver. Tailcone - metal. Don't forget the black anti-glare on the nose.

Beeayeate's picture is spot on for the early sixties, it matters not that the picture is of a T4, T3's were in the same scheme. The picture does not convey the exact shade of fluorescent dayglo red/orange, however. But change the code letters to 21, and everything else would be right, down to the small yellow band on the fin.

I stand to be corrected, but as far as I know the JP3's never wore yellow; for certain the vast majority were delivered with dayglo - the markings of the old Airfix Jet Provost kit , showing it with yellow bands, may have perpetuated the yellow bands myth.

Paint dayglo gave way to dayglo strips, not such an attractive colour scheme, in the early to mid sixties. The first JP in the red and whire colours appeared in 1968, in the following years those that were not retired were repainted.

As for getting the colour scheme exactly right, I'd suggest looking at aircraft modelling sources, things like Decal sheets sold by Hannants .

If your friend does choose the dayglo scheme, he will have made a a very rare and eye-catching choice, I can't think of anything flying in those colours, not in the UK anyway.

I've found a photo of us in an early publicity shot - winter of 60/61 I would guess. XN465, 548 and 550 and XM346. All look brand new, and are in the colour scheme I gave above. No CFS crest yet, and no fleet numbers, but 465 is coded RU and 346 as RR.

Dick

And there were one or two pre-production Mk 3s at CFS in 59/60, with LERX that were returned to the factory. Did they have yellow bands on silver?

Last edited by Dick Whittingham; 28th Mar 2008 at 16:41.
Reason: Remembered more

Please can we examine what has been established so far - this includes PMs.

It is becoming highly likely that XM478 was not, in fact, a Syerston machine, so the title of this thread is incorrect. It is probable that this was initial confusion engendered by the XM378/478 situation.

It would appear highly unlikely that the aircraft was ever yellow/aluminium. My colleague is therefore left with two choices of red highlighting: the dayglow red areas initially painted on various areas, or the dayglow bands applied by dayglow tape. I would like confirmation that the dayglow paint highlighting was replaced by the dayglow taped bands.

My colleague is very grateful for the response. He is pursuing a similar line of inquiry for his former French military CAP-10. HIs other aircraft, being Italian, are easier for him to research.

Bit off the JP thread but I hoped someone with Syerston Connections might be able to throw a little light on a dark days happenings. Time mid fifties, ambling back from the outside bogs at my infant school eyes clapped on the sky as usual ( We lived at the end of RR Hucknall runway so there was always something flying) I know not why but I swung to the west and looked high to see a growing fireball developing with 'smoke' trails falling off in all directions. At the age of 7 I only exibited a mild curiosity. Many years later I tripped across a report of 2 x Vampire T11's destroyed over Nottinghamshire in a mid air and suffered one of those ha ha! moments. Were they from Syerston? Flew many times from Syerston with 644 643? GS can't remember the No exactly as we traipsed between the two schools for years.

Prangster, there was a Vulcan accident in 1958, it's on the military site. Don't know how to post a link, but a search for "Vulcan" and Syerston" will bring it up. (Sorry for thread creep, but I felt it was worth an answer)

The Vulcan was the RR Conway test bed. It was overstressed as Dick mentioned, at an open day in front of a large crowd. There's a famous picture of it breaking up. I found a piece of it just embedded in the ground on the airfield in about 1985.